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Sunday, March 27, 2016

I hope you're having an amazing Easter long weekend so far! Now, I'm a big chocolate lover, but I've been noticing an abundance of chocolate everywhere, so I thought it might be fun to come up with a post that outlines some non-edible chocolate related treats...just in case you're a little tired of chocolate (or just want to cut down on the calories), but still want to treat yourself to something along those lines!

Un-edible Easter Chocolate Treats!

1) Try a scented soy candle like Chocolate Cookies from Buddha Bum Soy Candles to help you feel some Easter vibes, and it will make your home smell beautiful, too. Soy candles burn cleaner than other waxes as they don't have as many nasties in them, which means they're less likely to trigger allergies. Soy wax burns at a lower temperature, too, which means that a soy candle will last longer than a paraffin candle, bonus!

2) Indulge in a chocolate infused eyeshadow palette like the Chocolate Bar palettes (either the original or the Semi-Sweet, pictured above, or the new Bon Bons palette) from Too Faced Cosmetics, or any of the chocolate themed palettes (there are five in total!) from Makeup Revolution (the white one above is I ♥ Makeup Naked Chocolate)! They smell beautiful and they'll make you feel gorgeous when you look in the mirror!

3) Try a chocolate coloured polish, the one pictured in the photo above is Wooden Shoe Like To Know by OPI, and it's gorgeous! I feel like I've dipped my nails in milk chocolate every time I wear this.

4) The one food item on my list; it isn't technically edible in itself so I figured it passed...a chocolate infused tea! I'm obsessed with Lamington from T2 teas, but there are stacks of other delicious sounding teas, including a curated box containing several different types of chocolate teas called T2 Choc Selfies!

5) A signature fashion item like a pair of shoes or a bag in chocolate tones will also help you fit right in. Pictured above is my little tote bag from Colette Hayman.

There you have it, lovelies, some cute little ideas that will help you celebrate Easter in a slightly out-of-the-box way!

Sunday, March 20, 2016

I'm a little late with this post, which is all about what I picked up at Salon Melbourne a couple of weekends ago! If you're wondering what Salon Melbourne is, it's basically an industry event for professionals like hairdressers, makeup artists etc, but luckily, bloggers are also allowed in. I've already reviewed the event the last couple of times I went (wayyy back in 2012 and 2013, which you can read here and here). It hasn't changed overly much in the years so I won't review it again, but will just jump straight to what I purchased, though of course, some of the brands that were exhibiting have changed.

Salon Melbourne 2016(image courtesy of Salon Melbourne)

I was a lot more restrained with my purchases this year, so here's what I ended up getting.

Haul from Salon Melbourne 2016.

I picked up 5 brushes from Crown Brushes, to fill gaps in my brush collection. Pictured from left to right, as detailed in the photo below, these are:

Fan brush SS023 ($19) - I'd been wanting a dense, fluffy fan brush for applying highlighter, and this was the softest out of all the choices that the Crown Brush stand had. I've already used this and I'm loving the result I get from this!Dense powder brush 443 ($35) - This was the most expensive brush I picked up. This is a little like a kabuki, but it's a lot denser than all the brushes I own. I wanted something to really buff powder into the skin after the application of liquid foundation, so I can't wait to give this a good try. I've just washed this and there was a fair bit of dye leaking from it, but this should hopefully peter off after the first wash.Contour brush C473 ($20) - I own a Zoeva contour brush but wanted something that had a bit more bulk to it. I've also just washed this but have yet to try it out properly. There was no dye leaking out which is good!Eye smudger SS028 ($7) - The eye smudger brush caught my eye immediately! I've got one from Sigma which I love, but I wanted a dupe as a backup. I've washed this but have yet to use it.Spoolie brushes x 2 C115 ($3 each) - I had to bin my last spoolie, so I really needed a soft spoolie to help brush product through my brows. Both of these felt quite soft, and as they were $3 each, I figured it didn't hurt to pick up two different ones!

Let me know in the comments if you want to see reviews once I've tried them all.

The Made Up Maiden is a Melbourne based beauty blog written by Nalini, a young professional with a great love for all beauty products (but is especially fixated on makeup, nail polish and fragrances).
Working in a male dominated industry by day, she moonlights as a beauty blogger by night, and is always on the lookout for new products to fall in love with! She loves exercising her creative side by showcasing various makeup and nail art looks on the blog.